System for napping textiles or the like



Dec. 21, 1954 .1.15. corsoN 2,697,265

SYSTEM FOR NAPPING TEXTILES OR THE LIKE Filed March '7. 1951 2 sheets-sheet 1 INVENTOR dame; B Carson Dec. 21, |954 J, B, C'QRSON 2,697,265

SYSTEM FOR NAPPING TTILES OR THE LIKE Filed March '7, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 F119 3. Eg. 4.

' INVEN'roR James 5. Corso/7 United States Patent O 2,697,265 SYSTEM FR NAPPING TEXTEES R TIE LIKE .llames l. Corson, Latrobe, Pa. Application March 7, 1951, Serial No. 214,300

14 Claims. (Cl. 26-31) This invention relates to a system for napping textiles, clothror the like. More particularly, it relates to a new kind of teasel for use in such napping and to the cooperative relationship thereof in napping practice.

Thef practice of napping textiles, cloth and other substances by the use of natural teasels is one of great antiquity. These teasels which generally belong to the genus Dispsacus and their coiigeners have a prickly or spiny characteristic which even the resources of modern man have been unable to satisfactorily duplicate for equivalent economic use. As a consequence, there is an entire industry engaged in the growing, drying and marketing ot' tcasel burs for use in textile industries. These teasel burs are used by that industry in their natural dried state in quantities which are enormous. The cost of them to the users is appreciable. ln addition, the very frequent replacement of such teasels not only interrupts the production of the equipment of which they are used but Ialso involves the labor and handling cost required in the replacement. All of this represents an economic loss which the industry has recognized without so far being `enabled to avail itself of any significant improvement.

By means of the present invention, the foregoing difficulties are overcome. Thus, l have discovered that l can resilieiitly interconnect the bracts of teasels in a particular inode and thereby vastly increase their effective functioning and life. Hence, these new teasels coact the course of napping operation in such a way as to effect a new combination, The significant advance of thiscombination lies in the marked improvement in the performance and life of the new teasels for periods up to many times the lives of the dried teasels and in the eco nomic benefits derived therefrom. Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description and from the drawings, which are illustrative only, as follows:

Figure l is a schematic end view of a roller-type napping cylinder engaged in the napping of cloth goods 1n accordance .with the teaching of this invention;

Figure 2 is an enlarged view of a section of one end of the napping cylinder shown in the structure of Figure l and further showing one manner of mounting teasels thereon, said teasels having been treated in accordance with this invention;

,Figure 3 is a partial view in plan of a teasel mounting of the` character used on the cylinder shown in Figures l and 2;

Figure 4. is an end view looking toward the left-hand end ofthe roller support shown in Figure 3; h

.Figure 5 is an enlarged side view in partial section of a new teascl embodying the teaching of this invention;

Figure 6 is a side view of a container assembly having an elastomer solution for treating teasel burs in accordance with this invention; and u 1igure 7 is a cross-sectional View taken along line Vil-Vil of Figure 6.

ln the napping of textiles or cloth a so-called endless strip or length of cloth lll may be run between tensioning rolls 1l and 12. lt may then be run around a calender roll 13`aiid a steam roll i4, following which the goods lll may 4be passed over a spreader roll 15 ailixed between the .sides of a napping machine frame of conventional character. ln one form of such machine the goods then pass ,between a pair of Contact rolls 16 and 17 on the one hand. and `a napping cylinder 18 on the other hand. Similarlyadditional spreader rolls 19, 20 and 21 re- ICC spectively` standbetween pairs of contact rolls 22 and 23, 24 and 25, and 26 and 27. In this way, the` goods can be brought into appropriate contact with napping drum 18 substantially aroundthe entire circumference thereof or any part thereof desired. The respective pairs of contact rollsmay be relatively adjustably mounted'so thatthe.distanceubetween the members of each pair can be changed. Such a mounting is a conventional practice and enables the length of the are or arcs of goods in contact with the napping cylinder 18 to be varied to suit the particular napped nish desired. Additional guide rolls 28, 29, 30, and 31 respectively are provided where needed to conduct the goods away from the machine toward a calender roll 32, a further guide roll 33 beyond which the goods, if desired, may be wound on a winding roll, which is not illustrated, in a standard manner. An air suctionA trough 18 extends the length of the cylinder 18 in close clearance relation to the outer periphery thereof when teasel burs are mounted thereon. This troughlr'i is used to draw lint or napper flocks from the respective teasels as, they pass across the vmouth of the trough 18.

in the particular embodiment shown, the nappingcylinder 18 comprises axialwooden elements or slaves 34 fastened together at the ends and internally if desired in a standard manner. Axial teasel roller supports 35 which are more fully-shown in Figures 3 and 4 are fastened in length-wise position around the circumference of drum 18 by the screws 36, the respective Shanks` of which pass through the recesses 37 in the supports 35. ln addition, wood screws 38 are employed to individually hold the respective brackets 39 in xed position against the outer surface ot the respective supports 35 and pass through registering openings therein. The brackets 39 are offset and have thereon outstanding journal lugs dll. When the `brackets 39 are arranged in rows along the cylindrical elements on the exterior of the drum 18, circuinferentially displaced lugs on adjoining brackets, 39 along the saine element form pairs of journals `as shown in Figure 3. Thus, the lug il forms a pair with the lug l2 on an adjoining bracket. Similarly, the lug 43 forms a pair with the lug 44 on the next bracket therefron-i along` the axial elements of the cylinder 18. The lugs 42. and dd may be in the forni of sockets which prevent spindles d'5 from moving endwise therethrough. However, the lugs 41 and d3 are drilled entirely through in line with the axes of the respective spindles d5. Spring clips 46, for example, may bear against the outer end of the drilled journaling opening through respective lugs such as lugs 41 and 43. To insert a spindle 4S or to remove one it is only necessary to move it endwise against the pressure of the spring clip l-6 until the end journaled in a socket corresponding to lug d2 or 44 is free whence it can be put into operative position or taken away.

Teasel burs 47 are drilled lengthwise through the center thereof and may be mounted on such spindles 45 in pairs, as shown in Figure 3. ln such case, the hooked ends of the teasel burs 47 will point in the same direction. Stops 48 may be fastened at the center of the respective spindles ll5 and point in opposite directions so that the corners of the said stops may engage the nearer end of the respective teasel bur 47. Hence as drum 18 is revolved the hooked ends of the teasels 47 will nap the length of goods 1d by virtue of the Contact between such goods and the napping drum 1S. The described machinery and means for mounting the teasels i7 are old in themselves and other conventional arrangements may be used without departing from the teaching of the invention herein contained. The teachings of the present invention may also be used in con- 'nection with manual fixtures such as hand or machine slats for mounting teasels, for napping textiles, cloth and other such fibrous substances.

ln Figure 5 there is illustrated a teasel bur prepared in accordance with the practice of this invention. These burs 49 have a core Sil which is axially drilled at 5l for the insertion of a mounting element like spindle 45 to which the bore 51 may be adhesively affixed as by glue. The respective ends 52 and 53 of teasel 49 have been cropped to prepare it for use in the teaseling of textiles,

cloth or other fibrous materials. These teasels, such as teasel 49, have thereon the valley or trough-shaped and pointed bracts 54 fastened at their inner ends or roots to the core 50. In the species of teasel called Dipsacus fullonum or Fullers teasel the outer ends or tips 55 are hooked, all of such hooks pointing in the same direction. As a consequence, teasels present a spiny or prickly appearance which, as described earlier, has fitted them for centuries for use in the napping and similar working of fibrous materials. In the course of use of teasels heretofore, the bracts would become loosened or separated from the core in a relatively short time.

The loosening of one or more bracts frequently greatly accelerated the destruction of the teasel. The loosened or separated bracts sometimes acted like soldiers in a row wherein one loose bract tended to break or loosen the others also by pressing or working against them. Further, in the old practice the impairment of the teasel might take place at a particular location on a particular side thereby creating a gap in the generally continuous periphery of the teasel defined by the tips of the bracts. Such gaps also hastened deterioration and, it is believed, might also have a tendency because of the eccentric movement thereafter of that teasel to loosen or break the bond between the core of the teasel and its supporting spindle.

In the aggregate, such difficulties not only shut down the napping machines with greater frequency because of the materially shorter life of the teasels but also because of the lack of relative uniformity as to time and character of breakdown of those teasels. In addition, in the older practice there was involved the added expense of the cost of the additional teasels made necessary, as well as the economic expense of removing the old used-up or partially used-up teasels and substituting the new ones. No effective correction of these various difficulties existed prior to the making of my invention.

I have discovered that by resiliently interconnecting the bracts of teasel burs, for example, as` shown in Figure 5, I can produce a new kind of teasel which obtains a new kind of result in napping textiles, cloth and other fibrous materials. My mode of treating teasel burs, such as natural teasel bur 61, is to bore, mount and glue them, for example, on a spindle 56 having stops 57 thereon similar to the respective spindles 45 and stops 48 shown in Figures 3 and 4. When the teasels are mounted the ends of the spindles 56 may be placed in opposed recesses 58 on opposite sides of a tray 59 containing an elastomer solution 60. The depth of the recesses or slots 58 may be selected such that the entire length of the bracts on the teasel burs 61 are immersed as the spindle 56 is rotated about its axis by hand. It is evident that machinery may be used or that other dipping procedures may be employed to lightly coat the exterior surfaces of the bracts of the teasel burs 61. Thus, the spindles may be dipped endwise into a container filled with elastomer solution to a depth sufficient to cover the teasels on the spindles. f

Thereafter, I prefer to drain any excess solution 60 off by suspending the teasel burs 61 by their ends or otherwise for a sufficient period of time. Following this, I prefer to dry or otherwise cure the elastomer solution 60 to form a resilient film interconnecting the bracts in a manner shown, for example, for the bracts 54 of the teasel bur 49 in Figure 5. In this work I have found that the elastic coating does not so adhere tothe tips such as the hooked ends S5 in any manner which impairs their napping or teaseling action. Generally, the film formed may be of a reticulated character having the openings 62 therein as seen in Figure 5. Indeed, it seems that the solution 60 need not penetrate entirely to the roots of the bracts so long as a film is formed connecting the bracts intermediate the tips and roots of the respective bracts. Even though the elastomer solution may initially cover the tips of the bracts, it appears that upon the drying or curing thereof, the coating does not adhere to those tips or at least to any extent which prevents them from readily freeing themselves without difficulty upon the initiation of napping operations so that the actual points of the teasely may perform their napping functions. The character or viscosity of the elastomer solution will be selected to coat teasel burs such as teasel burs 49 and 61 in accordance with this invention without producing such a heavy deposit that when dried and cured the elastomer and teasel will be in the form of a solid cylinder or barrellike structure of material with the elastomer substantially covering the outermost tips or hooks of the bracts.

New teasels conforming to the teaching of this invention avoid the difficulties of the prior practice hereinbefore described. Thus, even if a bract or a few bracts should become loosened or separated from the core of the new teasel, the elastic film retains them in their respective places and tends to or prevents their working against the remaining bracts to induce, in a relative sense, progressive deterioration of the teasel. Further, the film in combination with the bracts interconnected thereby seems to act as a muff or sleeve to retain an effective napping surface substantially without gaps relatively uniformly and continuously over the entire periphery of the teasel defined by the outer tips or ends thereof. At the same time, there appears to be sufiicient allowance for individual movement of the bracts to the extent required for napping or teaseling. Still further and as a consequence, there is a marked increase in the life of the new teasels prepared in accordance with this new invention with the advantages entailed thereby. The preparation of a suitable elastomer solution such as solution 60 is a matter which will be well understood by and within the skill of the latex art. Such skills include the selection of the elastomer itself, its character in the solution, the amount and quantity of other ingredients therein and the curing procedures to be followed. Thus, vulcanized or unvulcanized latex may be used in natural or concentrated solutions. Further, such materials may be a natural or a synthetic elastomer. In general, however, a fitting solution may comprise an unvulcanized natural latex of rubber in solution with suitable compounding ingredients such as sulphur, zinc oxide, an accelerator and an antioxidant may be employed. For example, on a weight basis, to parts of natural latex liquid, 2 parts of sulphur, l part of zinc oxide, 1/2 part of an anti-oxidant, a wetting agent and l part of a suitable accelerator may be added. For an accelerator a substance such as diphenylguanadine or other standard accelerator may be employed. Further, the proportions between the respective ingredients may be varied to obtain particularly desired properties or curing characteristics or both.

In curing teasel burs treated in accordance with this invention, I prefer, after removing them from the elastomer solution and draining them to remove any excess solution thereon, to dry them at a temperature in the neighborhood of F. for a period of time sufficient to complete the curing. As is well understood, time and temperature and the character of the ingredients variously affect the curing itself, as well, in some cases, as the character of the film. In curing by drying, a period of one hour on a screen in an oven through which air heated to about l20 to 125 F. is blown has sufficed using a rubber latex solution of the general character outlined above. The time of curing appears to be lengthened somewhat when simply blowing heated air around the new teasel burs to cure them. And such teasels may also be air dried to coagulate the elastic film. In the tests which I have made, a moderate quantity of elastomer solution is all that is required. As is well understood in the latex art, chemical coagulation is another method by which a suitable elastic film may be formed in the utilization of the teaching of this invention.

In addition to napping woolens in accordance with the teaching of this invention, it may also be employed in the teaseling 'of velours, the making of billiard cloth, the manufacture of paper-makers felt and the other innumerable instances where its value will be self-evident upon consideration of this disclosure. Various modifications and departures may be made from the teaching of this invention without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

l. In a system for napping textiles, in combination, apparatus comprising, a plurality of teasels with bracts, said teasels generally having their bracts connected by an elastomer, and means for mounting said teasels.

2. In a system for napping cloth, in combination, apparatus comprising, a plurality of teasels with bracts, said teasels generally having their bracts resiliently connected by an elastomer latex film, and mounting means for said teasels to nap said cloth.

3. In a system for napping cloth, in combination, apparatus comprising, a plurality of teasels, said teasels having bracts being resiliently connected by an elastic lrn intermediate the roots and tips of said bracts, and mounting means for said teasels.

4. In a system for napping textiles, in combination, a manufacture comprising, a plurality of teasel burs, said burs having bracts joined at their roots by the core of said burs, said bracts further having hooks at the tips thereof, a resilient film interconnecting said bracts, said resilient film being adherent to said bracts below the hooks thereof.

5. In combination, in a system for napping cloth, a manufacture comprising in combination, a plurality of teasel burs, said teasel burs having bracts, said bracts having their roots connected to the core of said burs, generally reticulated elastic latex lm adhering to and interconnecting said bracts intermediate the roots and tips thereof.

6. In a system for napping cloth, in combination, apparatus comprising, a plurality of teasel burs with bracts. said teasel burs generally having their bracts interconnected intermediate the roots and tips thereof by a rubberlike coating, and holders on which said teasel burs are mounted for the napping of cloth.

7. In a method, in combination, the steps comprising, treating a plurality of teasels having bracts with a lmforming elastomer solution, removing said teasels from said elastomer solution, and curing said teasels with solution thereon to interconnect the bracts thereof.

8. In a method, in combination, the steps comprising, providing a plurality of teasel burs having bracts, immersing at least said bracts in a resilient hlm-forming latex solution, removing said teasel burs from said solution, and drying said solution adhering to said teasel burs.

9. In a method, in combination, the steps comprising, providing a plurality of teasel burs having bracts thereon, coating at least the bracts of said teasel burs with a rubber latex solution, removing said teasel burs from said solution, draining oi any excess solution from said teasel burs, and curing the solution on said teasel burs to form a rubber lm interconnecting said bracts.

10. In a method, in combination, the steps comprising, immersing at least the bracts of teasel burs in a latex film-forming solution containing at least rubber latex, sulphur, zinc oxide, an accelerator and an anti-oxidant to coat said bracts, draining said teasel burs, and drying said teasel burs at a temperature in excess of atmospheric temperature for a period of time sufiicient to` cure said solution.

11. As a new manufacture, the combination of a teasel bur with bracts having an elastomer interconnecting the bracts of said teasel bur.

12. As a new manufacture, the combination of a teasel bur with bracts and a cured rubber latex iilm interconnecting the bracts of said teasel bur.

13. As a new manufacture, the combination of a teasel bur with bracts and a substantially reticulated rubber latex film interconnecting the bracts of said teasel bur intermediate the ends of said bracts.

14. As a new manufacture, the combination of a. new teasel bur with bracts, said bracts having roots and tips, and an elastomer layer interconnecting said bracts nter mediate said roots and tips.

References Cited in the ile of this patent OTHER REFERENCES Posselts Textile Library, vol. IX; Recent Improvement in Textile Machinery, part 3; Wool, Cotton, Silk, pages 319 and 320. Published by E. A. Posselt, Philadelphia, Pa. in 1906. (Copy available in Div. 21 U. S. Patent Otlice.) 

